


Winter of the Land, Iron of the Sea

by Zola9612



Series: Winter of the Land, Iron of the Sea [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU-Merpeople, Alpha!Bucky, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Birth, How did angst get in this story?, Insecure Tony Stark, It has a Happy Ending Though, M/M, Mpreg, Omega!Steve, Protective Bucky Barnes, Surprise pregnancy, Tony is so koi, WinterSoldier!Bucky Barnes, Winteriron Holiday Exchange, merman!Tony, omega!Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 04:57:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9219812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zola9612/pseuds/Zola9612
Summary: Tony is a secret merman who is in love with Bucky. After a passionate night with Bucky before he leaves for a long undercover mission, Tony finds out he's pregnant. Bucky returns from his mission only to find Tony missing.Will Bucky find Tony and his surprise babies?Read to find out.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EchoSiriusRumme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoSiriusRumme/gifts).



> Based on these prompts:  
> ABO, military AU, Omega Tony, Alpha Bucky, (past) mpreg; They had sex when Bucky had leave, and their baby was conceived. But since he had to go back right after that, Bucky doesn’t know that part and only expects Tony and their friends to be greeting him when he finally returns. So when he sees Tony beaming at him from afar, that’s not surprising – what is a surprise is the little bundle in his arms, and…that can’t be…a baby? (Bonus, going between their POVs, w Tony dealing with the pregnancy with their friends’ help, and back to Bucky while he’s away, with the first meeting from Bucky’s POV of course).
> 
> Tony is a merman captured and experimented on by HYDRA, with WS!Bucky keeping watch over him between sessions. They form a bond, some of Bucky’s old self coming back when he’s around Tony. After a really bad session, Tony barely hanging on, Bucky decides he’s had enough and escapes with Tony.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, EchoSiriusRumme.
> 
> (Still have no idea how angst got into this. Must have been the Bucky mindset.)

**Tony’s POV**

                Tony was aware of the small devices humans used to tell them if they were pregnant. He just wasn’t sure they would work for a merman so he decided to use the method that his kind had been using for millennia. It had been a time since he had looked up the spell method for his friends, Pepper and Rhodey, so he wasn’t sure if the incantation was right. He whispered the words of the spell and waited the requisite time. He hoped that the spell would flash a bright light the color of the gender of the child and not the white of a negative result. Focused as he was on the area around his stomach, Tony, at last, saw the result. Two flashes of pink and two flashes of blue. He gaped. _Quadruplets_ , he thought with a gulp. In all of merpeople history, there had never been a case of quadruplets. Maybe twins or triplets, but never quadruplets. And that was a kicker, too. Tony hadn’t even told the babies’ father that he was a merman. Damn it! Now he had to tell Bucky that he was dating an omega merman AND that he was going to be a father. If only he wasn’t three months into a several months-long undercover mission in Romania. Come to think of it, the babies might have been conceived the day before he left.

** Flashback **

                “So Hill thinks there might be an active HYDRA base in Romania but isn’t entirely sure that the informant gave her the right information, ergo, she is sending you to Romania and Natasha to Hungary in an undercover capacity. Did I understand that correctly, Bucky?” Tony asked his alpha boyfriend of two years. Said boyfriend nodded. “Also, Tony, it might take a few months to get any real intel,” Bucky said, looking at Tony sheepishly. Tony sighed. It wasn’t like he could ask Hill to send anyone else. Bucky was the best, besides Natasha, thanks to his time as the Winter Soldier. “Is Hill giving you a way to conceal the arm, at the very least?” Tony inquired as he rose from their apartment’s couch. Bucky nodded, following Tony to the entryway of the apartment where they kept their shoes. “She had FitzSimmons create a synthetic skin sleeve for the arm. It’ll go up to my shoulder and adapt to my body temperature. Part of my cover story is that I have nerve damage in the arm and can’t feel anything with it,” Bucky replied while Tony got his shoes on (and wasn’t that still uncomfortable for the merman-in-human-form) and gestured for Bucky to do the same. “Glad to see Hill taking care of my boyfriend. Now, I don’t know about you but I want to spend the day with you out of this apartment. Let’s go to the fair,” Tony spoke excitedly as he flitted about grabbing their keys and wallets. Bucky chuckled as he followed Tony out the door.

                They spent the entire day at the fair. Bucky won a stuffed dolphin for Tony from one of the balloon dart stands. Tony knew Bucky wouldn’t understand why he couldn’t stop giggling but that didn’t stop him. The stuffed toy just reminded him of Dummy, the silly dolphin that followed him everywhere he could. Bucky was able to convince Tony to ride on one of the rollercoasters. Tony threw up the fair food he had eaten when he got off and began to hit Bucky upside the head as he laughed at his reaction. “Never… again… will I ride one of those, Barnes. Mark my words,” Tony panted as he stumbled to the parking lot. Bucky smirked and pressed Tony against their car. Not that Tony was against it, mind you. He loved it when Bucky got frisky. He moaned as Bucky nibbled on his ear. One of the more sensitive parts of a merperson were their ears. He broke away when he felt Bucky’s erection brush his thigh. “Maybe we should continue this at home,” Tony suggested, blushing. Bucky nodded and opened the car door for Tony.

                The drive home was torture for Tony. Bucky kept running his hand lightly across his thigh which made him hard as a rock. Tony did his best to hold in the small moans and gasps but a few slipped through. The gasps and moans caused Bucky to become bold and move his hand closer to Tony’s cock.

                The moment Bucky parked at their apartment building, Tony was out of the car and up the stairs. Bucky rushing to follow him. If the neighbors were asked why they weren’t sleeping, they would answer that all the banging and moans kept them up.

** End Flashback **

                Tony knew he’d have to tell Bucky about the babies, but he had no way of reaching him while he was undercover. He’d also have to leave their apartment and head back to the sea. It was a biological requirement that all pregnant merpeople be in the sea. Without the chemical composition of the water, the pregnancy always miscarried before the fifth month. This was found out when a pod of merpeople attempted to live on land to escape the encroaching humans and all of the maids lost their babies. Tony was lucky that he visited the beach at least once a week since Bucky left or he would have already lost his babies. He shuddered at the thought of losing his miracles. Tony had no choice but to leave for the sea.

 

**Bucky’s POV**

                Eight months was too long to be away from Tony. Add in the no communication part of the mission and the situation became ten times worse. Bucky could not wait for the Quinjet to land at Avengers’ HQ. He was leaving to see Tony immediately. Fuck the debrief.

                As the doors opened, Bucky caught sight of Steve and noticed his sorrowful expression. Bucky worried. Had something happened to Tony while he was gone? Bucky walked off the jet and up to Steve, who was doing an admirable impression of a sad goldfish. “Punk, spit it out. What the fuck happened?” Bucky asked in a hard and worried tone. The blonde omega breathed in a gulp of air and said, “About three months after you left, Tony came to me and asked me to take care of your apartment. I asked why but he didn’t really explain the reason. That’s the last time any of us have had contact with Tony. We’ve searched for him high and low but we can’t find him. I’m sorry, Buck. Tony is gone.” Bucky blacked out.

                When Bucky came to, he could hear waves crashing against the seashore. He opened his eyes and saw he was on their rock in his and Tony’s cove surrounded by rocks on South Brother Island. This was where they met and where Bucky started to feel more like Bucky and not the Winter Soldier.

** Flashback **

                The Asset knew the island was a bird sanctuary which is why he chose it. And wasn’t that weird? Being able to choose what he does and where he goes. He barely remembers what that was like before he was the Asset. He has the blonde omega to thank for helping to return some of his memories. He wanted to be alone. He was happy that he could want things. Under HYDRA’s control, he wasn’t allowed to want things.

                He swung himself over some rocks and into a small, hidden cove. He found a rock that looked like a reclined chair and laid back. He must have been more exhausted than he thought because he was out like a light in seconds even with the sun shining in his face.

                He jerked awake causing the person above him to jump back. “Whoa there, Hook. Didn’t mean to startle you but you’re sitting on the rock I like,” a smooth, timbre voice joked. The Asset looked up to see an olive-skinned omega with brown-almost-black hair, a goatee, and brown eyes standing over him. The Asset stayed where he was and replied, “Well, I don’t see your name on the rock so it’s free game, doll.” The omega cracked up. The Asset was stuck marveling at the fact that he could still joke and flirt while listening to the omega’s gorgeous laugh. The arousal he felt because of the omega was foreign after so many years of not feeling it.

                “Well, my name is Tony and seeing as you won’t get up and give me my rock, I’ll just sit on you,” Tony said as he sat on the Asset. The Asset blushed as Tony brushed across his erection and froze. Tony looked up at his face and noticed the blush covering it. Tony grinned slyly before slowly rocking against his erection. The Asset moaned, bucking up and letting his and Tony’s erections meet. They both moaned. “I normally don’t do this with strangers, but damn, does it feel great,” Tony said, breathlessly.

                “My name is Bucky,” the former Winter Soldier replied.

** End Flashback **

                They had finished getting each other off and talked until the sun began to set. Bucky had told Tony who he was and the things he had done. Tony, without knowing, had helped to return a majority of his memories and alleviate most of his guilt of what HYDRA made him do. In turn, he learned that Tony was disowned by his father and was using his mother’s maiden name, Carbonell, and he was drifting from place to place without a home. Tony had said to him, “Unlike me, you have someone who wants you home and safe. Go home, Bucky. This Steve won’t care about what you’ve done, only that you are alive and safe.” Bucky had grunted and refused to go until Tony agreed to go with him. The Avengers were suspicious of Tony at first, but they accepted him after he helped Bucky get out of a Winter Soldier episode without knocking him out.

                That was two years ago. Bucky theorized that the Winter Soldier had taken over when he found out that Tony was missing and came here on the hope that Tony would be in the place only they knew about. He looked around but the cove was empty besides him. He sighed. If Tony wasn’t here, where was he? Just as Bucky turned to climb over the rocks and out of the cove, he heard a splash come from the cove pool. He quickly turned around and saw Tony’s head sticking out of the water.

                “Tony!” Bucky yelled, scrambling to the pool edge. By the time he got there and into the water, Tony had moved to the very edge of the shallow end but still had enough water to hide his body. Bucky was lucky that the shelf let him stay standing, water to his shoulders. Tony grinned, but it wasn’t full of his usual confidence. It was one filled with nervousness. Bucky reached for Tony, but Tony flinched from his hand. Bucky let his hand drop and felt his face fall. Tony was scared of him. Heartbreaking, Bucky’s shoulders slumped and he turned to leave, respecting that Tony had left when he could to protect himself. He felt a hand grab his, preventing him from leaving. Bucky refused to look at Tony.

                “I’m sorry, Hook. I flinched because I thought once you knew the truth, you wouldn’t want me anymore. I was preparing myself for you to hate me,” Tony pleaded. “I could never hate you, Tony. What truth?” Bucky asked. “Look at me, Bucky,” Tony begged. Bucky looked and froze.

                Where Tony’s legs should have been, a long, sinuous red and gold koi fish tail continued from Tony’s hips with a set of fins on each side of his hips. Down his back was a chain of dorsal fins with a dotting of scales where the fins met Tony’s back. He had gills on either side of his stomach. And that was another surprise. Tony’s stomach looked like he had swallowed a tire. Bucky blurted, “Are you pregnant?!”

                “I’m eight months along with quadruplets,” Tony replied, tone holding a hint of confusion, as if he expected Bucky to be freaking out about the fish tail. _Eight months pregnant_ , Bucky mused in his head. Suddenly, Bucky remembered what they did the night before he left. “Are-are they mine?” Bucky asked with cautious hope in his heart.

                “Yes, they are. Two boys and two girls. Why aren’t you freaking out about me being a merman?” Tony asked in a confused tone. Bucky chuckled and said, “If you can handle me being a brainwashed assassin with no idea who he was, then I can handle you having a fish tail. By the way, why didn’t you stay in the apartment and let the Avengers help you while I was gone?” Tony explained, “It’s a merperson thing. If I had stayed on land, I would have miscarried. I couldn’t have that. These babies are a miracle to me because someone harmed me when I was younger and I was told I could never have kids.” Before Bucky could ask what happened, Tony gripped his hand in a death grip and grimaced.

                Bucky immediately asked, “Are you ok? Is something wrong?” Tony panted and said, “Looks like you came back at the right time. I’m having the babies now.” Bucky paled and nearly fainted. Now?! “Is there anything I need to do? Do you need me to not mess with you? What do I do?” Bucky spluttered in his panic. Tony let out a pained chuckle and said, “I’ll need you to catch the babies as they come out. Half-humans are always born in their human forms and can’t breathe underwater.” Bucky nodded but then asked, “Where do I put them? I only have two arms and I’ll need my arms to catch all of the babies.” Tony waved his hand and a playpen sized bamboo raft with a small mattress and sides appeared next to Bucky. Bucky noticed that a vine was attached to it and wrapped around their rock so it wouldn’t float away in the current. “Put them in there,” Tony said tightly, a contraction occurring as he spoke.

                Bucky swam with Tony for hours while his labor progressed. Suddenly, Tony stopped and said, “I need to push.” Bucky nodded and moved in front of him. Tony groaned, gripped his shoulders, and began to push. Bucky noticed a slit open in the front of Tony’s tail so paid attention to that area. Tony grunted and Bucky saw a head pop out of the slit. He reached down and supported the head just as Tony pushed the body out. Bucky brought the baby out of the water and cradled it as it made its first cry. “It’s a boy,” Bucky exclaimed as he cried tears of joy. Tony came closer and ran his finger down his son’s face before saying, “His siblings are impatient.” Bucky set his son in the raft and continued to help Tony with the rest of the babies. The process repeated three more times. By the end of the last birth, Tony looked exhausted. Bucky hauled Tony up onto their rock then he pulled the raft onto the rocks behind it.

                Bucky sat by the raft and looked over his children. His eldest son and daughter both had dark hair, but his youngest son had blonde hair and his youngest daughter had his mother’s red hair. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they? Our youngest boy has my mother’s hair,” Tony mused exhaustedly. Bucky looked up to see that Tony had flipped over onto his now-flat stomach and was looking at his babies with a heartbreaking look of awe, like he couldn’t believe that they were his. Bucky smiled and replied, “And our youngest daughter has my mother’s hair.” Tony looked speculative and said, “That’ll be her name. Winnifred Stephanie Barnes. For your mother and Steve.” Bucky was close to crying again and replied, “Then our youngest son will be named Mario Edward Barnes. After your mother and you.” That also got Tony in tears. “I want our oldest son to be named Timothy Gabriel Barnes in honor of your closest friends in the Howling Commandoes,” Tony said while still crying. Bucky cried harder and shot back, “I want our eldest daughter to be named Margaret Sarah Barnes to honor Peggy for taking care of Steve when I couldn’t and Steve’s mom who was like a second mother to me.” Tony smiled.

                “Welcome to the world, i miei bambini,” Tony said proudly.

**Author's Note:**

> The cove is based on this:  
> https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/sites/default/files/photos/cove-nr-penberth.jpg
> 
> Tony looks like this in merman form:  
> http://s8.favim.com/610/150718/iron-man-loki-mermaid-merman-Favim.com-2973729.jpg
> 
> Now omega biology works a little differently in this 'verse. Omegas can get pregnant outside of their heats but it happens rarely. (Trust Tony to be part of the rare group)
> 
> This is not the last that you've seen of this 'verse. I have an entire series planned now exploring what happens from the end of this story onwards. Let me know what you want to see!


End file.
